Project information

Survivors for Peace

Survivors for Peace is the only project in England engaging victims/survivors of politically motivated violence (terrorism) in making a contribution to peace building by turning a painful and challenging experience into a positive opportunity for development, leadership and inspiration for other

Need

In the immediate aftermath of terrorist attacks emergency plans are mobilised and appropriate organisations deployed to address the immediate needs. As normality returns, meeting the longer term needs of the bereaved and survivors is not as well planned. This poject aims to address some of survivors’ longer term needs, often concerned with the context of the event and around acknowledgement and recognition.

Solution

Survivors for Peace provides opportunities for people affected by terrorism to come together to; share experiences, learn about the context of the event that affected them and gain skills to turn this painful experience into an opportunity for self development and positive contribution to their own communities. It contributes to the conflict transformation process by enabling victims and survivors to deal with the past.

Activities

Success will be...80 survivors feel less isolated in their experience and have moved forward in their journey of recovery

Aim 2

Increased understanding of the impact of conflict for 80 survivors

Activities

» 3 conflict education days to run each year, providing survivors opportunities to explore the context of how an dwhy their incidents happened » 3 trauma information days each year. Filling a gap in support for those experiencing difficulties due to their trauma

Success will be... 80 survivors understand the context of how and why their incidents happened, helping them move forward in a constructive way

Aim 3

Developed and improved leadership skills for 60 survivors and young people

Activities

» 2 leadership training events each year. Providing survivors with opportunities to develop skills and interact positively in their communities. » 1 leadership development school programme, providing opportunity for young people affected by conflict to become leaders for peace

Success will be...60 survivors and young people have developed leadership skills and an understanding of the causes of conflictwhich have enabled them to lead their peers in school

Aim 4

Increased awareness and understanding of 200 emergency responders of the needs of victims

Activities

» 2 training seminars to be held each year featuring survivors testimonies, educating emergency response professionals to improve service provision » 4 one day bespoke training workshops for Local Authority repsonders to help them understand victims needs and improve policy and service delivery

Success will be... Emergency responders, resiliance workers and emergency planners have a broader understanding of how their policies and actions impact on victims.

Impact

The project will benefit 350 victims of conflict and terrorism to gain understanding of what happened to them, gain new skills and contribute positively to their communities.
The project will also affect future policy and service delivery of emergency services reponding to incidents in the U.K.
Success will be demonstrated by external evaluation of the project to measure if objectives were met, plus the individual testimonies of participants on how the project affected their lives.

Risk

The main risk to the project is lack of funding to continue the work. This is dealt with on an ongoing basis through applications to the Big Lottery and other funders.
Risks to participants in terms of re-traumatisation have been dealt with by the development of safe processes and methods of work and the support of clinicians on programmes.
Risks to programme workers of vicarious traumatisation have been dealt with through the provision of off-line supervision

Reporting

Donors will receive a copy of our programme newsletter which is produced quarterly as well and a formal annual report of activity and success of the project. Donors are also invited to attend events throughout the year to keep up to date with the Foundation's work.

Location

Based at the Peace Centre in Warrington, the project will work with particpants from across England and delivery of the programme will take place in other areas according to particpant demand e.g. there is a large cohort in the North West and in London

Beneficiaries

Project beneficiaries are people in England who have been bereaved or injured in terrorist attacks, or those engaged in politically motivated violence - incidents such as the Northern Ireland conflict, 9/11, 7/7, Bali, former soldiers or bereaved families of soldiers. As terrorist attacks are indiscriminate, those who are affected are spread out all across the country. By the end of the three year programme 350 peopel will have benefitted from this work.

Why Us?

There is no other organisation in the UK currently undertaking this range of work.
The 7th July Assistance Centre closed in August 2009 and while there a number of organisations working with victims of conflict, they mainly provide psychological support and don’t offer victims opportunities to use their experience positively. This project fills the gap in support for those experiencing difficulties due to their trauma but who may not be diagnosed, nor have, post traumatic stress disorder.